In our consumerist society, we fixate on getting things, and often forget that everything has a limit – there is a limit to how much money, time, and energy we have to spend.
Instead of figuring out what else we need to get, it would probably do most of us good to think about what we can get rid of so our lives don’t feel quite so cluttered, rushed, and chaotic.
Here are five former essentials I’ve learned I can live quite happily (or perhaps even more happily) without:
1. Junk food and carbonated drinks
Like most teenagers, I binged my way through fries, corned beef sandwiches, and any sort of junk food I could get my hands on in my early teens. A couple kilograms and much taunting from my brothers (who seemed to have gotten it into their heads that my name had been changed to ‘Fatty’) later, I decided to cut out several offending items from my diet altogether – namely fried food, junk food (or any sort of food with artificial flavorings), and sugary, carbonated drinks. After overcoming the initial cravings and replacing them with healthier options (eg. wholewheat crackers when I need to munch, or honey when I need a sugar fix), I’ve never looked back.
2. Television
I won’t claim such copious amounts of self-control for this one. Quitting television was largely a product of circumstances out of my control. After moving several times to new housing areas with poor or no television reception, I quickly adjusted to life without the idiot box. During all that free time, I became acquainted with what have become the two great loves of my life: baking and writing.
3. Women’s magazines
I once made women’s fashion and health magazines a regular staple of my reading diet, poring over the latest fashion trends, beauty tips, diet advice, or workouts for toned bums ‘n tums. After one too many ‘Ways to Win Your Man!’ and ‘Look Slimmer By Tonight!’ articles, I began to get the sneaking suspicion that these magazines reuse their articles and cleverly rephrase them to make them sound different even though the gist is more or less the same. I also noticed that around the time I started ditching those glossy pages, my self-confidence began to sky-rocket. Coincidence? I think not.
4. Coffee
While one steaming cup per day (especially in the snowy conditions I am writing this in) won’t do much harm, I once relied on the magic juice to keep me awake during late nights spent doing college assignments. The habit followed me into an internship stint before I decided to kick my caffeine dependence by going coffee-free for several months. I found that by skipping coffee and managing my time a little better I was able to get better, more restful sleep at night and wake up fresh and recharged for the next day. I still allow myself the occasional indulgence, but never more than one cup a day and never any later than lunchtime, so it won’t interfere with my sleeping patterns.
5. Computer games
Oh, come on. These days games are no longer solely the domain of the male species. Do you really think it was the men who made growing vegetables and raising animals in FarmVille such a hit? According to a recent survey by Royal Pingdom, women make up the majority of avid social gamers, with 38 percent of female social gamers saying they play social games several times a day. My personal favorite back in those days was Diner Dash. I made it my personal mission to complete all levels of all versions of the game – and to get a star for each one.
While games can be good fun in moderation, for all those hours spent in front on the computer racking up Diner Dash ‘achievements’, I ask myself if they have ever achieved anything for me in the real world, and whether all those Diner Dash ‘stars’ mean anything to me now. Sadly, the answer to both is ‘no’. These days, when I’m feeling bored or have a couple spare moments, I grab a book instead – and many an assignment, project or conversation has been enriched by information gleaned through reading.
What about you? What are some things you’ve found you can do without? What’s so important to you now that you’d likely be better off without?
Crystal Cha blogs at Burn Out Bright. Follow her on Twitter at @crystalcha28.
